West Bengal Elections: On April 8, 2026, the Election Commission of India announced the deletion of approximately nine million names from the electoral rolls in West Bengal. This significant action comes just weeks before the state is set to conduct its elections in two phases.
The district of Murshidabad, known for its Muslim-majority population, experienced the highest number of deletions under the ‘logical discrepancy’ category. Meanwhile, the border district of Nadia, home to many Dalit communities, saw the largest percentage of rejections, with about 75% of adjudicated names removed.
A senior ECI official in Kolkata stated that around six million voters’ claims were subject to adjudication by judicial officers, and 45% of these were deemed ineligible. Consequently, these individuals, residing in the 152 constituencies voting on April 23, will not be able to participate in the elections, as the rolls were finalized on April 6.
The special intensive revision process, which began in November of the previous year, has positioned West Bengal as the third highest in terms of deletions among nine states, following Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. The Supreme Court intervened in the process, leading to the involvement of approximately 700 judicial officers to address discrepancies in names, titles, and ages.
Political leaders are responding strongly. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has pledged legal support for those appealing their deletions, while BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar has assured that eligible citizens will be reinstated through tribunal hearings. However, these tribunals are not yet fully operational, leaving many in uncertainty as the elections approach.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, April 8, 2026
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